Driver accused of killing 8 in deadly migrant crash now faces 26-count indictment

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Brownsville man accused of crashing into a group of 18 people, killing eight and injuring nearly a dozen, was indicted last week on new charges.

George Alvarez now faces a 26-count indictment, which includes eight counts of intoxication manslaughter, eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Alvarez is facing manslaughter and intoxication manslaughter charges in connection to each of the deaths in the crash. The intoxication manslaughter charge accuses him of operating a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated at the time of the crash.

The manslaughter charge accuses Alvarez of disregarding a traffic signal and failing to maintain a single lane.

ValleyCentral reported in October that Alvarez had pleaded not guilty to eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon before the charges of intoxication manslaughter were introduced.

Deadly crash

Alvarez was arrested in connection to the May 7 crash that occurred in front of the Ozanam Center, a shelter for migrants and the homeless.

Brownsville police said at a news conference after the crash that a gray SUV ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and struck 18 individuals who were standing outside.

Six were found dead at the scene and another 12 were injured. An additional two victims would later die from their injuries.

At the conference, police said Alvarez was uncooperative and gave several different names to officers. A previous ValleyCentral report details Alvarez's criminal history.

In August, Brownsville police released an update that said a partial toxicology report revealed that Alvarez was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. State lab results that would show the presence of drugs were pending.

His bond was set at $3.6 million.